The Correlation of Acne with Anxiety after Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty is one of the most common cosmetic surgeries occasionally associated with complications, such as acne lesions. Anxiety reportedly leads to the emergence or exacerbation of acne lesions.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 147 patients undergoing rhinoplasty. The patients were assigned into two groups of case (with acne lesions) and control (without acne lesions) entailing 52 (45 females, 7 males) and 95 (68 females, 27 males) subjects, respectively. The data were collected using an instrument entailing clinical and demographic data and the state-trait anxiety inventory developed by Spielberger.

According to the results, 70.7% and 71.6% of the patients in the case and control groups were female, respectively. Regarding the education level, 61.5% and 68.4% of the case and control groups had academic education, respectively. Additionally, 61.5% and 42.1% of the subjects in the case and control groups were single with the mean ages of 25.06±5.077 and 27.45±5.909 years, respectively. , 73.1% of the case group indicated grade 2 acne mostly in the face (100%) appearing 1-4 weeks post-surgery (51.9%). The case group had higher mean scores of trait (46.92±12.53) and state (46.21±9.30) anxiety, trait (P=0.001) and state (P=0.019) anxiety severity, as well as the prevalence of cosmetic dissatisfaction (51.9%), compared to the control group. Furthermore, acne severity showed a direct correlation with the severity of trait anxiety (r=0.472, P=0.005) and state anxiety (r=0.443, P=0.013).

As the findings indicated, anxiety could be a major factor in triggering or exacerbating acne lesions after rhinoplasty. The assessment of mental health before the surgery, proper selection of the cases seeking aesthetic surgery, provision of psychological support, lack of medical history of acne lesions, and successful cosmetic rhinoplasty could result in reducing the prevalence of acne lesions after cosmetic surgeries, especially rhinoplasty.